1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and system for providing call center distribution services.
2. Background of the Related Art
It is known in the telecommunications arts that automatic call distribution systems (“ACDs”) are specialized types of telephone systems used in incoming call centers. A conventional ACD automatically answers incoming calls, places the calls in queues, provides information to callers based on software-implemented database handling instructions, routes callers to agents, and provides real-time, status and historical reports, which may be used for management and maintenance of call handling, call duration and call resources, as well as for training purposes.
In a traditional ACD environment, telephone calls are routed to multiple, geographically distributed ACDs, typically via use of a software routing program. The software directs the telephone network to send the call to a particular ACD agent skill group. Based on agent availability, status, and other factors, the ACD decides which agent within the group will receive the call.
An important feature of ACDs used in financial services organizations, such as banks, where many calls are received and handled by a plurality of agents, is the ability to have customer records displayed on an agent's terminal, simultaneously with the agent's responding to a call from the customer in question. The ACD transmits a customer identifier to a customer records database, which, in turn, displays the respective records on the selected agent's terminal at the time the call is transferred. It is increasingly difficult, therefore, in a distributed environment, in which callers, agents and/or supervisors are located in geographically different areas of the world, or in which calls are received over different networks, to accomplish all of the features of a conventional ACD, while still appearing to callers as a single seamless virtual entity.
There is thus a need for methods and systems to allow multiple ACDs, particularly when located in geographically different areas of the world, to operate as a single seamless virtual call center.
There is a further need for ACDs having the capability to dynamically reorganize the virtual organization of available individuals (interchangeably referred to herein as “agents”), so that those having the most relevant skill sets appropriate to respond to a call or query may be quickly and easily identified and accessed anywhere in the world, regardless of time of day.
There is a further need for methods and systems to allow such ACDs to utilize largely unskilled labor forces, yet to operate as effectively as the most experienced skilled workers within such centers.
There is a further need for methods and systems that allow such ACDs to intelligently respond to a caller's needs, by identifying a most relevant script set that may be related to the purpose of the call, and providing the script set to the agent as the call is put through.
There is a further need for methods and systems that allow optimization of integrated voice and data communications with expert knowledge in a seamless virtual ACD operation, while at the same time allowing easy integration with existing legacy call center platforms and networks, so as to allow a smooth migration to an Internet Protocol (“IP”) infrastructure.
There is yet a further need to provide such methods and systems in a manner that dramatically reduces the costs of operation over conventional methods and systems.